1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a circuit assembly useful in attenuation element circuitry.
2. The Prior Art
A circuit assembly is known, for example, from the German Utility Pat. No. 7,404,505, in which connecting rods of contact elements are connected to an elongate substrate. Such rods extend parallel to the large surfaces of the substrate so that with the aid of the contact elements positioned on one edge of the substrate it is possible to connect the substrate to a carrier plate at right angles to the direction of said carrier plate by inserting the connecting rods into bores in the carrier plate. A particularly compact arrangement of such substrates on a carrier plate can be achieved.
Owing to the increasing miniaturisation of the components of the electro-technique, attenuation elements employed, for example, in communications technology for purposes of level matching are also being constructed with optionally adjustable attenuation values, employing ceramic or glass substrates covered by resistance layers applied by the film circuit technique. In this respect, the problem is encountered of interconnecting the individual resistance layers in a simple fashion to achieve a desired attenuation value. In the case of an attenuation element known from the German AS 2 113 490, the individual resistance layers are switched on and off with the aid of switching devices in the form of rotary switches which cooperate with metal strips which in turn contact the individual resistance layers of a ceramic substrate. The movement of slide contacts directly above contact paths arranged on the substrate cannot be allowed generally because of the rapid wear of such slide contacts caused by the substrate material.